The Case for Chemical Recycling of Polyolefins

Plastic plays a vital role in protecting food products but chemical recycling is crucial for a long-term sustainable solution.

Mike Ross
Mike Ross

Plastic plays a fundamental role in the packaging industry by protecting our products, especially in sectors such as food. Consider that by 2050 we will have over 9 billion people on our planet, which will increase the importance of protecting and preserving our food chain while avoiding food waste from farm to fork.

Unfortunately, in recent years, plastic has been under siege as a material when it comes to sustainability, mainly because too much of it has found its way into the environment at the end of its use. This is mainly driven by the lack of a collection and recycling infrastructure and the perception of plastics as “waste,” or having little to no value. However, what the world has isn’t a “plastics problem” but rather a litter issue, and by introducing and advocating for additional capacity for chemical recycling, what is now considered waste can be transformed into value.

Mechanical recycling only a step

Mechanical recycling is a good step, but not a long-term solution. Today, much of the plastic (like polyolefins) used in food packaging can’t be recycled into new food packaging for safety reasons. That’s because most of the industry uses mechanical recycling, often turning the collected packaging waste (especially polyolefins) into non-food packaging.

While the beverage industry has certainly made large strides with PET and mechanical recycling to food applications, in both cases, the recycled material can only go around the circular economic cycle a few times before the polymer chains degrade to the point where quality cannot be maintained in the finished pack.

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